Death from Taser very rare, stun-gun experts tell inquiry

It is exceedingly rare for the Taser stun gun to cause death,
international experts told retired B.C. Court of Appeal Justice
Thomas Braidwood at the opening of the first public inquiry into use
of the controversial conducted energy weapon.

It is exceedingly rare for the Taser stun gun to cause death, international experts told retired B.C. Court of Appeal Justice Thomas Braidwood at the opening of the first public inquiry into use of the controversial conducted energy weapon.

J. Patrick Reilly, a U.S. authority on the effects of electricity on humans, maintained the device wasn't "benign," but adverse effects were very, very uncommon.

He had numerous studies and his own research to support his conclusions. But Reilly acknowledged that the reason people died after receiving a Taser jolt remains unknown.

"There is no central data collection system that allows you to adequately quantify these events," said Reilly, who urged Braidwood to recommend the creation of a central information data bank so that every time a Taser is deployed a full report is available to the public and researchers.

"We're groping in an environment where we don't have all the facts. Hopefully over time we can get a better handle on the probability of these events that are unwelcome or dangerous."

His experience, he said, indicated there was a probability of "well less than one per cent" of harm or death even if every fatality that has occurred was attributed to the use of the Taser.

"I have said and continue to believe there is a very small chance of a fatal event, but not zero," Reilly said.

A second witness, biomedical engineer John Webster, said he agreed and that his theoretical research based on experiments on pigs confirmed that.

He said that even in the worst-case scenario -- in which Taser darts hit a thin person between the ribs within 11 millimetres or less of the heart -- the probability of ventricular fibrillation (interruption of the normal heart rhythm) would be in the order of six in a million.

"For people with a small body mass there is a tiny risk," Webster said by video-teleconference from the University of Wisconsin.

He said he would like to see standards for Taser deployment that reflect the inherent risks, even though they are tiny.

It was an interesting beginning to the first of nearly a dozen investigations underway as a result of the Oct. 14 death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at the hands of Vancouver airport RCMP.

The investigations include a review by a House of Commons committee, a coroner's inquest set for later this year and the continuing RCMP investigation.

The national concern and outrage sparked by Dziekanski's death prompted provincial Attorney-General Wally Oppal in February to appoint Braidwood to conduct an inquiry.

Braidwood said he wants to learn everything he can about the Scottsdale, Ariz.-made device designed to help law-enforcement officers disable out-of-control and dangerous people.

"I expect all of you and many people around the world have seen the video" of Dziekanski's final minutes, Braidwood said, describing the international reaction as "immediate and intense."

But it is not only that specific incident that is of concern.

Many, many people have died -- more than 300 across North America -- after being jolted, sometimes multiple times.

The Taser, Reilly explained, works by hitting a target with 19 pulses of electricity a second for a period of five seconds -- very brief, multiple pulses.

It starts delivering 50,000 volts but that voltage immediately drops; high voltage is necessary to create an arc bridging any air gap that might be caused if the dart from the stun gun doesn't make contact with the skin of the target but gets caught in clothing, or maybe even falls to the ground.

Everyone has had a small shock that causes them to experience pain, Reilly said, but a Taser is about 100 times worse than that.

Nevertheless, death is at worst "a small possibility," Reilly insisted.

"Why aren't Tasers more dangerous?" Reilly asked rhetorically. "There's two reasons -- the voltage when it's under load is not 50,000 volts but [much less and] the more important fact is the duration of the Taser pulse is in the millionths of seconds. . . It's mainly because of that -- that's why you're not being killed."

He testified he had reviewed summaries of deaths following Tasering and asked: "What is the Taser doing? Could it be responsible?"

He didn't think so.

Reilly concluded there were usually complicating factors such as illicit drugs or other medical conditions involved in these fatalities.

Reilly spent most of his career at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory but now is a private consultant. Bio-electricity and the effects of electricity on living things is his "first love," said Reilly, whose research has included shocking people and measuring their responses.

Reilly stressed that he is an independent researcher and not connected with the manufacturer of Tasers. "I've been approached by more than one company that manufactures electrical stun devices asking about possible collaboration and that includes Taser International," he told the inquiry.

"But after consideration I have turned down anything along those lines. I wanted to remain as independent as I can to attend hearings such as this. I have also turned down offers to do work against a Taser company by someone bringing a lawsuit for the very same reason. I have not done that either."

Webster also said he considered his research independent, but acknowledged that he had given testimony in lawsuits in which Taser International was on the opposing side.

Braidwood said he will conduct public forums, review written submissions and consider the commission's own sweeping research reports before making recommendations.

He has two roles -- to report to the family and satisfy their concerns about what happened to Dziekanski, and to suggest benchmarks, appropriate training and public policy approaches. Braidwood said he would extend his hearing schedule if required. For more information, visit www.braidwoodinquiry.ca

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